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Indian K-drama fans are disgruntled with Netflix for delaying the release of King the Land, one of the most anticipated series of the year. The romcom stars 2PM’s Lee Jun-ho (The Red Sleeve) and Girls’ Generations’ YoonA (Confidential Assignment, Big Mouth). Fans all over the world were looking forward to seeing the duo on screen together for the first time, but for people in India, the wait has become longer.
King the Land officially released on JTBC and selected regions on Netflix on June 17, 2023. As of June 20, two episodes of the show have already been released. However, the streaming platform will directly release the romcom in India on July 13, nearly a month after its original air date. Further, the streaming giant’s website also shows that the show will be released in a Hindi dubbed version.
Both the delay in release and the detail about the Hindi dub of the show has led to growing frustration for Indian K-drama fans who had been waiting to see 2PM’s Lee Jun-ho and Girls’ Generation YoonA’s chemistry together on screen.
Indian K-drama fans angry over Netflix delaying and releasing a Hindi dubbed version of King the Land
King the Land is the latest romcom series offered by JTBC and Netflix. It revolves around the familiar arc of a chaebol heir falling in love with a middle-class girl. However, the humor and the lead actors’ (2PM’s Lee Jun-ho and Girls’ Generations’ YoonA) never-seen-before chemistry is what enticed fans, who are excited for the show's release.
The enthusiasm of Indian fans, however, was short lived as they grew increasingly frustrated after noticing that Netflix will release a Hindi dubbed version of the show in July. India is a diverse country with multiple regional languages, and it is troublesome for people who do not speak Hindi. Moreover, many K-drama fans expressed their issues by stating that they would rather watch Korean language audio with English subtitles.
King the Land released on June 16 in major countries except India. Netflix was one of the first streaming sites in India that brought the Hallyu Wave, achieving immense success with its original Korean language audio and subtitles in various languages. However, with the streaming platform now not only delaying the release, but also allegedly only releasing the drama in Hindi dub, it has upset many Indian K-drama fans.
From Instagram to Twitter, Indian fans expressed their frustration with accessing the content nearly a month later after the world. Some even threatened to cancel their subscription if Netflix didn’t release it soon. A few fans also mentioned that Netflix’s country-wise social media accounts were promoting the show well, but Netflix India had not released any promotional content.
Meanwhile, it isn't just King the Land that Indian fans are upset about. Ahn Bo-hyun and Shin Hye-sun's fantasy-romance drama, See You in My 19th Life, is facing similar issues. Although the series released on June 17 originally, the show will only release in India on June 29.
King the Land is a weekend show and releases new episodes every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 pm KST on JTBC. The show is also available for streaming via TVING and Netflix in select regions only.
